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Expert: - 12/17/2010


Question
I have a 2 yr old that spends his days at his grandparents who have 4 cats, down from 10. He has been staying there for the past 3 months and everytime I go by to pick him up his clothing has a terrible ammonium ordor and requires a change of clothing when I get him home. I have brought this to the attention of my wifes parents and both they ahd she say there is no harm being done to our child. I need some expert advise on this and would greatly appreciate your help in this matter.
Is cat urine odors harmful to my childs developing stages?

Answer
Well I am not an expert on cat urine but I can tell you this, no one should smell like urine when they are in a house with cats.

What that tells me is this: the child is on a floor that is soaked in old urine from this cats or they do not clean their litter boxes very often. The smell of cat urine itself will not harm anyone but a 2 yr old breathing this in day in day out can't be good.

I would think that the ammonia alone might irritate his lungs.

There needs to be some better hygiene going on with these cats and their litter boxes. There are other things to consider as well, are these cats current on vaccinations, and are they wormed?

While adult cats are less prone to round worms they should still be wormed because round worms are a huge health threat to a child. They can cause blindness etc .

So that would worry me more than the smell, but no one should ever come home smelling like urine, period!!  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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